The Broomfield Farmers' Market is rolling out its tents for another year of offering fresh local produce and community-centered events.

The Broomfield Farmers' Market features about 40 vendors selling local produce, meat, cheese, wine and other items. In addition, the market features food trucks, live music, contests and special activities each week.

The market also supports local organizations by donating proceeds to nonprofits or other organizations at the end of the season.

The market is from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Sept. 24 in the gravel lot at the corner of U.S. 287 and West 10th Avenue, just west of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church.

Organizers see the market as a gathering place where residents can support local growers and community organizations, see live entertainment and meet up with friends.

"We want people to stop by, have some dinner, catch up with their neighbors and enjoy a nice summer evening," said Dave Carter, a market organizer.

The approach is working. The market last year was voted Colorado's favorite farmers' market in a nationwide poll conducted by the American Farmland Trust. The contest was meant to raise national awareness about local farmers' markets and the role they play in supporting local farms.

Attendees of the market can shop for fresh food while taking part in special events, such as cooking demonstrations, a seed spitting contest, Colorado trivia competitions, shopping bag giveaways and an Iron Chef competition, he said.

Last year was the first year for the Iron Chef competition, which invited area chefs to purchase all of their ingredients from the market and compete for the best dish.

"It's definitely one of our most popular events," he said.

While shoppers enjoy the market, they're also helping to give back to the community, said the Rev. Kim Seidman, vicar at Holy Comforter.

Last week, farmers' market volunteers donated $600 each to Broomfield Meals on Wheels and the St. Benedict Health and Healing Ministry. The money came from 2012 market proceeds. Proceeds from the market each year are given to area organizations to support their work within the community.

"We established the market to not only be a destination for connecting area residents with local farmers, but also to support the larger community in which we live," Seidman said in an email.

Community outreach also extends to offering discounts for people who use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, known as food stamps. This year, SNAP users will receive double the value for benefits at the farmers' market, because of grants from the Broomfield Community Foundation and the National Episcopal Church, Carter said.

The market offered similar SNAP benefits last year, and about $1,200 in food stamps were redeemed.

This year, Carter said organizers want more people to take advantage of the program.

"When we started this market, the whole idea was to make healthy food as accessible as possible," he said. "But at farmers' markets, healthy food isn't always the cheapest."

The market also will include cooking demonstrations using market produce and other items that can be purchased with SNAP. The demos are meant to showcase low-cost, easy to prepare meals that use items typically found at the market.

The market began in 2011 with a handful of vendors and has since grown to serve people of all economic backgrounds.

"It's a true community event, and we've gotten lots of community support," Carter said.

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